Rudolf bitter v walcher-uysdal



(No Model.) 3 Sheets8heet 1. RUDOLP BITTER V WALGHER-UYSDAL. BAROMETBRFOR INDIGATING FIRE DAMP.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.v

RUDOLF RITTER V WALGHER-UYSDAL.

BAROMETER FOR INDIGATING FIRE DAMP.

No. 341,822. Patented May 11, 1886;.

(Nb Model.) s Sheets-Sheet 3.

RUDOLF BITTER V WALGHER-UYSDAL. BAROMETBR FOR INDIGATING FIRE DAMP.

No. 341,822. Patented May 11, 1886.

N. PETERS Phum-Lnhognphnr, Wnlhmgicn, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OrEIcE.

RUDOLF BITTER V. YVALOHERUYSDAL, OF TESCHEN, AUSTBIATIUXGARY.

BAROMETER FOR INDICATING FIRE-DAMP.

SPBCEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,822, dated lflay11, 1886.

Application filed October 15, 1895. Serial No. 179,995. (Nomodch)Patented in France August- Ql, 1835.1). 170,760; in Belgium August $11,1855, No. 69,962, and in Austria-Hungary October 13, 1855, No. 29,926and Not-1,463.

To aZZ whom it may concerl'b:

Be it known that I, RUDoLF Rrr'rER v. \VALOHER-UYSDAL, a subject of theEmperor ofAustria-Hungary, and a resident ofTeschen, in the Empire ofAustria-Hungary, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements inIndicatingBarometers, of which the following is a spccificaion.

This invention relates to apparatus for signaling or indicating thevariations of a barometer, chiefly designed for ascertaining whenemauations of gas or liredamp in collieries are likely to occur.

I have discovered that the emanation of gas from coal in coatmines isinversely proportionate to the pressure of the atmosphere that is tosay, that the emanation increases with a diminishing air-pressure anddiminishes with an increasing air-pressure. Besides the extent of thefall of the barometer, the rapidity ot'the fall is of specialimportance, as in the case of a rapid decrease of the atmosphericpressure the ventilating machines or to overcome the great volumes ofgas emanating from the coal. The increase of the atmospheric pressure,however, removes the danger 5 at once. Accordingly, by carefullyobserving the barometer, the approach of danger can be ascertained andprecautionary measures taken. The uninterrupted observation of abarometer is, however, a duty which can scarcely be expected from anyone for a length of time.

The present invention therefore consists in an instrument whereby thedecrease of the atmospheric pressure and the danger are indicated. Thisinstrumentcomprisesaclockand a bell. The barometer is so connected withthe bell that the latter indicates the number of millimeters which thebarometer has fallen by the number of strokes which it gives. Thissignal, however, is only given for a defi nite period of time-say, forinstance, eight hours-so that the number of strokes on the bellcorresponds to the number ofmillimeters which the barometer has fallenduring the eight (8) hours which have passed. For this purpose the clockmust disengage the mechanism for signaling the fall of the barometer atthe expiration of every eight hours. When the barometer rises,themechanismv may be so a portion of the same.

ill

a plan view, partly in section, of an aneroid barometer adapted for thepurposes of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the signalingmechanism. Fig. 3 is a side view of a Fig. 4 is a plan viewof a detachedportion ofthe striking mechanism. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modifiedform of barometer; and Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section, oi amodified form of signaling ians are incapable of supplying air fastenough apparatus.

According to the first construction, (shown in Figs. 1 to 4,) thebarometer contains six or seven boxes, AC, on the aneroid system, asshown in Fig. l, which boxes transmit their movements through a systemof levers, a c a, to a shaft, 0., with which are connected a hand, B,and a short lever, It. The said hand carrics a small wheel, P, ofplatinum and silver or other suitable alloy, which wheel makeselectrical contact with a metallic ring, F, marked with the scale of,the barometer. The said ring, hand, and short lever are in an electricalcircuit, 1 2. Small plates T, of ivory, are arranged in the metallicring, and small platinum plates T, whose surfaces are in the same planeas the surfaces of the small ivory plates, alternate with the latter.The end of the lever B moves between the limbs'ot' a fork, Q, and canonly make contact with the latter when the barometer is rising, as onelimb, Q, of the fork is covered with an ivory plate, g.

O is a sliding contact-spring, which bears upon the fork Q. and servesat the same time as a brake for the latter. Now, if the barometer isfalling, the electric circuit 1 2 is closed at every millimeter by theroller 1? on the hand B, making contact with a platinum strip, T.

ICO

beyond the first and tenth steps.

.siderably increases.

-OUS.

An electro-magnet, G, in this circuit is thereby energized and attractsits armature G, which turnsupon a pivot. A lever, H, Fig. 2, is mountedupon the same pivot, g, as the armature G, and is connected thereto by alatch, J, on one arm of a bell-crank lever, J, so that as the armaturemoves toward the magnet the latch is detached by the other arm of thebellever the barometer falls one millimeter and the leverH is moved,anescapement or ratchet wheel, D, is pushedone tooth-forward. -Upon theshaft of the said ratchet-wheel D is fixed the stepped snail-wheel A,Fig.4, of thestriking mechanism and a cordpulley, E,Fig. 3. Theratchet-wheel-D is provided 'with-astop, l, in order that thesnail-wheel A cannot be moved The striking mechanism is arranged to bedisconnected every-minute-by the clockliftingthelatch B, the number ofstrokes on the bell indicating the number of millimeters whichthe'barome terhas fallen.

As shown in the drawings, the stepped snail-wheel is so arranged-thatthe striking mechanism will operate every minute, even whenthe barometeris rising, so that'in falling an additionalstroke is added foreach.millimeter.

This arrangement has the advantage that the striking taking'place everyminute indicates that the apparatus is in proper operation.

If the arrangement of the striking mechanism is to be such that thelatter-strikes only whenthe barometer is falling, and then only when thefall amounts to one, or more millimeters,a stopcan be caused to engagewith the fly-pinion a of the striking mechanism by means of ane1ectro-magnet, which is energized when the barometer is rising.

As already observed, it has been =t'ound that not only at long butespecially-at rapid falls of .the barometer the emanation of gas con-If, for instance, the'barometer falls ten 1 millimeters in from eight toten days,-the effluxof gas will not be very considerably' increased, asthe ventilation can overeome the gases passing out slowly,-whereas ifthebarometer falls ten millimetersin one day the emanations of gas willbe very danger- The apparatus maytherefore be soarranged that thesignaling of each millimeter of the fall of the barometer does'notcontinue for an indefinite :time, but only for eight'hours. In otherwords, the number of the-strokes of the striking mechanism only.corresponds with the-number of millimeters which the barometer hasfallen during the past eight hours.

This result isefi'ected by the following ar- CIQLBZZ rangement: O is adisk provided with sixty four pins or bars, S, capable of being turnedupon pivots so as to project laterally from the disk. The said disk ismoved by the clock work a distance corresponding to one sixtyfourth ofits periphery every quarter of an hour. It therefore makes halfarevolution in eight hours. As often as the lever H moves the escapcmentor ratchet wheel Done tooth forward, it throws aside a pin on the disk 0by means of a lever, h, as shown in Fig. 3, connected to the lever-H bya cord, h. After eight hours this pin comes into contact with aprojection 011 a lever, V, fixed 011 the same axis as the lever U, asshown in Fig. 3, thereby pressing the arm n of the lever U against thearm n of the pawl N, and effecting the disconnection of theratchet-wheel and snailwheel from the said pawl, whereby the snailwheelis caused to move back one tooth by means of the weighted cord onthepulleyE. The pins thrown aside are raised again by an inclined plane,K, fixed to the casing of the instrument. A pawl, u", on the left-handarm of the lever V prevents the escapement-wheel D moving back more thanone tooth. This pawl can move upon a pivot.

-In case the disconnection of the ratchet lever or pawl N shouldcoincide with a forward motion of the lever H, the disconnection of thelever N cannot take-place completely, as, during-the advance of theratchet-wheel, the pawl u would bear against the teeth of the saidratchet-wheel,and would not allow the lever U to move far enough. \Vhenthe barometer rises, the electric circuit 1 3 is closed by' thecontactof the short arm R with the uncovered limb of the fork Q.Theelectro-magnet g in this circuit is then excited, the lever N isdrawn back, and the ratchet-wheel, to-

gether with the stepped snail-wheel, are completely disconnected, sothat they turn back to step 1. By the movement of the lever Nthespring-contact N is moved away from its opposite contact, N wherebythe circuit 1 2 is'interrnpted, and thus renders the energizing of theelectro-magnet inserted in the circuit impossible. The spring'coutact Nis so arranged that in the ordinary movements of the lever'N the circuitis not interrupted, but only when the lever N is completely drawn backby the electro-magnet in the circuit 1 3. When within eight hours thebarometer falls, rises,and falls agaimthe pins thrown aside during thefirst fall would make the position of the stepped snail-wheel wrong forthe sec 'ond fall.

With every rise of the barometer, therefore, ageneral disconnectingdevice must engage with and raise all the pins turned down.

This-result is effected by the eccentric disk W, which, being connectedwith a cord-pulley, 0, turns in the opposite direction to that of theclock-hand when the latchw is disconnected, and raises in this motionall the pins which may have been thrown down. This disconnection of thelatch :12 takes place directly the ratchet-wheel D is moved back,

IIS

' ter is rising.

when the barometer rises,by means of an arm, f arranged on the stop-pinon the ratchetwheel D, which arm makes contact with a g' spring, y,(covered on the left-hand side with 5 ebonite,) thereby instantaneouslyclosing the electric circuit 4 5 and energizing an electro magnet, G,therein, of which the latch w forms 5 the armature.

Auxiliary bells L, Fig. at, maybe erected in any desired places andcaused to operate by the spring-contact N" and the local battery M 1, assoon the striking mechanism is set in operal tion.

According tothcsecond construction, (shown in Figs. 5 and (5,) themaking of the electrical contacts by the barometer takes place in asimilar manner to that just described, only in I a more simple manner.The i'ork Q, is divided into two parts by insulating matcrial, and thehand Z is insulated from the arbor upon which it is mounted, whereby theclosing of the circuit- 1 2 is only possible when the barometer isfalling, and the closing of the circuit 1 3 only when the barome- Thespring-contact N", before described, is then rendered unnecessary. \Vhenthe barometer is falling, the lever H is g operated once at everymillimeter of move ment of the barometer by the closing of the circuit 12 and the energizing of the electroi magnet G, thereby causing theratchet-wheel i l) and the stepped snail-wheel A to advance i one toothand one step, respectively. With J the stepped snail-wheel is connectedordinary repeating striking mechanism. The ratchetwheel I) and thestepped wheel A have, howi ever, eleven teeth or steps, respectively,and the first step of the stepped wheel is so high that with this step adisconnection of the striking mechanism does not take place at all;accordingly the striking mechanism does not op erate when the barometeris rising. The next step, which corresponds with a fall of onemillimeter, gives one stroke per minute. \Vhen the barometer is rising,the elect ro-magnet G f is energized, in consequence of the closing ofthe circuit 1 3, whereby the stopping lever or i pawl N is attracted,and the ratchet-wheel l), together with the stepped snaiLwheel A, aredisconnected and brought back to their original positions. Thedisconnection of the striking mechanism after a definite period of time(say eight hours) takes place in quite a dit'ter- 3 cut manner from thatdescribed in the first i construction.

The device P" is similar to that in Hipps 3 chronoscope. The movablespindle 11 carries 1 Hipps needle 0, a cord-pulley, s, and a disk, 1

1 wheel, r, of the clock mechanism.

t. The disk '6 has a tappet, 10 which, at each complete revolution,makes a momentary contact with a contact-piece, 1;, thereby closing thecircuit at 5. The current of this circuit liows also around theelectro-niiagnet G". The disk p, which is provided with radial teeth, iscaused to revolve once in eight hours by a \Vhenever the ratchet-wheel Dis moved forward one tooth, it forces the lever N back, so that thelatter presses the movable spindle a to the right. The needle 0 isthereby shifted from between the teeth of the disk p, and the disk It isturned by the weight G into its original position, as shown. As soon asthe tooth of the ratchetwheel has passed, the spring F forces themovable spindle a back, the needle 0 enters between two teeth of thewheel p, and the spindle a is now rotated by the clock-work until, aftera lapse of eight hours, the contact a '0 takes place, whereby, throughthe closing of the circuit 4 5, the needle 0 is again shifted, and thedisk tagain moves into its original position. \Vhen the barometer isrising, the

1 closing of the circuit 1 8 performs the same operation.

Now, if within eight hours after a fall of a millimeter of the barometera second fall of one millimeter occurs, the disk t passes to itsoriginal position, and the striking mechanism now gives a double signalfor eight hours, if during this time no fall or rise of the barometerhas taken place. This somewhat modified manner of signaling has theadvantage that after a fall of several millimeters the bellsignals ceasesimultaneously eight hours after the last millimeter fall, which for thepurpose of giving warning is in no way a disadvantage in the working ofmines.

hat I claim is- In an apparatus for indicating by audible signalsvariations of air-pressure, the combination, with an aneroid barometerhaving a movable index adapted to make and break electric circuits, ofelectro-magnets, electric circuits, and devices through which saidcircuits are closed and said electro-magnets energized, and signalingmechanism adapted to be Operated by said electromagnets, and constructed and arranged substantially as described, whereby at definiteintervals the sigi naling mechanism is returned to its normal position,as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

liUllOh-lr Rl'l"ER V. WALCHlSR-UYSDAL. Witnesses:

O. O. Pacer, E. G. F. MQELLER.

